Highlights
- Residential buildings and Penteli Children's Hospital evacuated overnight in Attica, Greece
- Wildfires burning near Athens put life, property, Acropolis and Parthenon at risk
- Locals say not learning from past fires in Greece has resulted in continued devastation
Hundreds of citizens were evacuated from their homes on Tuesday near Athens as wildfires continue their rampage across many European countries.
Residents from the suburbs of Drafi, Anthousa, Dioni, Dasamari and Asteroscopio in Attica had to leave their houses due to a major fire that had broken out on the slopes of Mount Penteli, only 25 kilometres northeast of Athens.
The Penteli Children's Hospital was also evacuated as a precautionary measure as the wind direction changed, taking the fire dangerously close to it.
Speaking to SBS Greek, Nikos Pagiotelis, a journalist at Greek media outlet, ERT, and a volunteer firefighter, describes the dramatic moments experienced by the residents, who with the help of firefighters and volunteers, tried to save their properties.
"Unfortunately, there's another fire in Attica, especially in Drafi, which has suffered more than 10 fires in the last 25 years. It's a difficult place where neither hiking parties nor vehicles can go. With the wind spreading the fire on multiple fronts, flames were rising towards Mount Penteli.
"The firefighters and volunteers and, of course, the residents tried not to be surrounded by the fire and have no casualties," he said.
Mr Pagiotelis, a resident of the area, underlines the fact that the fire makes its presence felt every summer.
"Because I've been here for so many years, over 15 now, we know very well what we are drawn to every summer, especially since the first big fire in 1997 when there was a virgin forest all over Penteli.
"From then, very few trees are left [on Mount Penteli] so we did some reforestation. Unfortunately, after two or three years, fires broke out again, so they didn't have a chance to grow. Something similar has happened now," he adds.
'I saved my house'
This firefront also threatened the Mr Pagiotelis' house.
I tried everything to protect my property
"I saved my house. The fire stopped at my garden and didn't spread to the houses nextdoor. Fortunately, it also didn't get anywhere near the house. When I saw that it was getting out of hand, I called 199 immediately. Some guys who were operating over there, came in with their chief and we were able to control the fire," he says.
However, Mr Pagioteli says some other residents in the area were not as lucky.
"Unfortunately, quite a few houses have been destroyed now, which the fire had not come close to in the last 25 years. I saw some getting burned, especially those that were made of wood," he says.
Volunteer firefighters and local residents tried hard to control the spread of fires. Source: AAP Image/AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis
The Acropolis and the fire
A photograph showing the famed historic sites of the Acropolis and the Parthenon against the backdrop of Mount Penteli up in flames, become viral.
"We have seen this photo many times in the past, but I'm afraid we will see it in the future.
Unfortunately, we have not learned the concept of proper firefighting in the forest.
"Firefighting is not only about firefighters. It is also about foresters who have to put in place the right kind of vegetation so that if there is a fire, certain trees like sycamore and mulberry won't burn so easily. There are no fire roads," Mr Pagiotelis says.
"Having fires every year has not taught us a lesson. We experienced this in 2018 in Mati where there were no roads. Nothing could be done, and I say this because, unfortunately, I was present there.
"The same happened last year in Parnitha, where there was a fire next to Tatoi. Many people thought it wouldn't be very difficult [to control], but we remember what happened to the thousands of hectares of virgin forest that got burned.
"We relived the same in Penteli, which has experienced at least 10 fires in the last 20 years.
"We don't learn from our mistakes."
